At around 6pm yesterday, as soon as I warmed some lentil soup and formed some leftover lamb into mini-burgers for the kids, I realized I didn’t have any carrots in the house. As I’ve mentioned before, I’ve tried to follow the plan precisely. Although I encourage you to make substitutes for convenience, preference or allergies, my job as a co-creator and reporter of this cleanse prevents me from doing so. But there were no carrots, and I had no babysitter. What I did have: a huge bunch of golden beets in the fridge. So I peeled them and cubed them and roasted them with cumin as I was supposed to do with the carrots. One yellow-orange vegetable substituted pretty well for another, of course, both in terms of taste and nutrition. And I only felt a smidge stupid when I took out the night’s compost and saw the insulated bag on our back porch that was doubling as a vegetable cooler. I did have the carrots after all.

I’m thrilled to be halfway through the program, and I’ve already started to think about what life will look like when this week is over. Which changes are going to stick, and which ones are going to be harder to keep? I’ve been diet ginger ale drinker for some time–I know, ick–but I’m really going to try to keep up with water consumption instead. It has worked wonders to ease the snacking habit this past week. And there’s always tea: I found another oolong I like, golden lily, which has a really mellow flavor and which unfurls into these great ribbon-y leaves after a couple of steeps. Moving forward, when I want something non-alcoholic but more charismatic than water, I may swap in a little carbonated water with a dash of bitters.

Snack, Day 8: Maple Applesauce with Greek yogurt and hazelnuts

Yesterday morning started with the regular ten-grain cereal breakfast with walnuts and blueberries. Come noon, I once again got into the lunch conundrum. Work out on a full stomach or put off lunch until afterward? I chose the latter, even though it made me ravenous. What I should have done was eat the egg in the late morning and had the rest of lunch after my exercise class.

Yesterday’s dinner was what we call Moroccan chili around here; it takes its inspiration from harira, the traditional soup used to break fast during Ramadan. I love how zingy and hearty it is, especially with good last-minute squeeze of lemon. (My Kuwaiti friend makes it with dried black lemons for a little extra edge, and I’m looking forward to trying that).

When I put together the recipe, I had in mind Michael Pollan‘s conceit of meat as a seasoning, rather than a centerpiece. Just 1/2 pound of ground lamb is the basis for a big pot of vegetable- and legume-laden soup that will provide both a second serving for my husband and a couple more meals thereafter. A good bean-heavy chili could do the same thing, as could a few good nuggets of sausage in a big pot of greens, or even a stir-fry with a few slivers of pork to garnish a boatload of slivered ginger and carrots. Ah! That’s what I could do with those carrots on my back porch…

Note: If you are just now finding out about the cleanse, not to worry. It’s a two-week healthy eating plan that you can start any time that’s convenient for your schedule.

Sara Dickerman is a Seattle-based food writer. A former restaurant cook, she is a contributor to publications like Slate, Saveur, The New York Times, The Wall Street Journal, and Sunset. You can find more of her work at saradickerman.com